5 Reasons Why Employee Safety is Always a Good Investment
What is it that makes your business awesome? Is it the products and services that you offer? That may be a factor, but if it were the only reason, why would your customers choose you over your competitors who offer the same thing? Is it the fact that your branding resonates so strongly with your target audience? That certainly makes sense. But your branding is more than just a beautiful logo and a few carefully chosen words on your homepage. Perhaps it’s your vision and leadership? After all, without those, your business wouldn’t and couldn’t exist! While there’s a little truth in all of these, let’s be honest. It’s your team that make your business what it is. It’s they who embody the ideals and standards on which your brand was built every day.
You owe it to them to make sure that they are safe (and feel safe) whatever the cost. Here we’ll look at 5 reasons why employee safety is always a good investment...
It’s your legal responsibility
There’s no getting around this. You have a legal duty to ensure that your employees can do their job in a safe environment. And that means everything from giving them PPE to inhibit the spread of COVID-19 to ensuring that they are properly trained on how to lift heavy objects or handle chemicals which are potentially hazardous to their health.
It protects you from legal vulnerability
As well as protecting you from a huge fine from government safety inspectors, investing in employee health and safety also protects you from legal vulnerability. While all businesses should have some sort of liability insurance should an employee threaten to take legal action if they injure themselves at work, legal action can do more than damage your cash flow. It can also prove a colossal PR black-eye and undermine the trust in your brand that you’ve spent years earning.
It can save you stress and anxiety around compliance
Whatever the nature or size of your business, if you have employees working on-site, you need to be able to demonstrate that you are health and safety compliant. Whether that comes in the form of pallet racking safety inspections or safety sampling of potentially dangerous processes, your obligation remains the same. Such workplace hazard assessments often come with a degree of panic and anxiety. But if you’ve gone above and beyond to invest in employee safety, you can weather any compliance inspection with a peaceful mind and a clear conscience.
It makes you more appealing to new candidates
Top tier candidates don’t want to work for employers who don’t take their health and safety seriously. Establish a reputation as an employer who goes the extra mile, and you’ll find that you attract a better class of candidate when vacancies arise.
It even boosts employee productivity
Finally, if every battle feels like a struggle for peak productivity, you might be happy to learn that there’s a direct correlation between workplace safety and employee productivity. Safe workplaces are up to 24% more productive, while operational costs can be reduced by as much as 20% when you invest properly in employee safety.